Geoege e



R. HUGHES.

Tobacco-Plant Stripper.

Inventor,

AM. FHOTLITMDA C0. NX. (OSBORNES PRCCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. HUGHES, OF GLASGOW, MISSOURI.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 112,774, dated May 17, 1864.

To all Iwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. HUGHES, of Glasgow, in the county of Howard and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Implement or Device for Removing the Buds or Germs of Suckers from Tobacco-Plants;

.and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specitication, in which- Figure l is a side view of my invention 5 Fig. 2, an inverted plan view of the saine; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the same, taken in the line :r a7, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in applying a bit to a stock, which is provided with a means for rotating the bit under the action of the hand in which the stoclr is held, all being arranged in such a manner that the operator may with great facility and rapidity remove the buds or germs of the stickers from the tobacco-plants and eiectually prevent the growth of suckers.

To enable those skilled iu the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a straight bar,having a lon gitudinal groove, a, at each side of it, anda strap, B, attached to its back end to encircle the wrist of the operator.

To each side ofthe bar A, at its back end, there is attached a curved metal plate, C, be-

tween the lower parts of which there is placed a shaft, D, having upon it two pulleys, E E', one of which, E, is fitted upon a square, b, on the shaft, so as to turn with it, and the other, Ef, fitted loosely on the shaft. (See Fig. 3.)

On the shaft D, between the two pulleys E E, there is a pinion, F, into which a toothed segment, G, gears. This segment G is at the back end of a bar, H, the front end ot which is connected by a pivot or joint, c, to the un der side of the barA, as shown clearlyin Fig.1. To the shaft D theinnerend of acoil-spring, I, is attached, the outer end of said spring being connected to the pulley E. (See Fig. 3.)

To the front end of the bar A there are attached two plates, d d, one to its upper and another to its under surface. These plates project a short distance in front of the bar A, and they forni bearings for an arbor, e, on which a pulley f is placed between the plates d d, the lower part of said arbor being made in the form of abit, J, similar tQ agimlet. Around the pulleyfa cord, g, passes. Oneend of this cord is attached to the pulley E and the other end is attached to the pulley E.

The operation isas follows: The person using the implement grasps the bars A H, the strap B being over the wrist. The bit J is placed over the bud or germ of a sticker and the bar H is drawn up to the bar A by the action of the hand, and the segment G, in consequnce of gearing into the pinion F, rotates the shaftD and the pulley E, which is connected to the shaft D. The bit J is rotated in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. l) from pulley E through the medium of the cord g, which rotates the pulley E in an opposite direction to the pulley E and assists the shat't D in winding up the spring I. The bit J, as it is thus rotated, tears out the bud or germ from the plant, and by releasing the bar H the spring I will throw the parts back to their original position. The bit J is then applied to another bud or germ and the operation repeated.

Thus by this simple implement or device the buds or germs may be quickly destroyed.

I do not confine myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofthe parts herein shown and described, for they ma-y be arranged in various Ways and the same end obtained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

An implement for removing the buds or germs of suckers from tobaccoplants, com` posed of a bit, J, connected with a suitable stock or handle, A, and arranged so as to be rotated by the action of the hand in which the.

implement is held, substantially as herein set forth. l

GEORGE R. HUGHES.

Witnesses:

M. B. GoLLrNs, WM. T. Davis. 

